Armistead sighed and lowered his head.
'I wish to God it was. I thought this would end it forever.'
'1 wish it was over, too, but not this way,' Chamberlain replied. 'You have defeated the Army of the Potomac, but you have not defeated the Republic it defends. There will be a new army, even if I am the only one to join it, but I know there will be tens of thousands more to fill the vacant ranks.'
Lo wearily nodded.
'I feared that'
'Thank you for my life,' Joshua whispered. 'I am sorry that we are enemies. We should not be. I am honored to be able to call you my friend, though I will fight against you yet again.'
Lo smiled sadly.
'General Armistead.' Joshua sighed, 'If there should come a day, a day when it is all different and our roles are reversed, know that you can count on my friendship.'
'I hope, sir, that we don't see each other again. I think you know what I mean, until this is over at least It would be tragic to have to face each other in battle after knowing you like this.'
Joshua squeezed Armistead's hand. 'God be with you.' 'And with you, Colonel.'
Joshua, eyes heavy, let go of Armistead's hand. Lo watched him for a moment, worried until he realized that Chamberlain had simply drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Leaving the church, Armisteadfell in with the column heading south.
SUNSET, JULY 9,1863
THE WHITE HOUSE
'So that is everything you can recall?'
The man standing by the window looked over at Henry with careworn eyes, shoulders hunched, features pale.
'Yes, Mr. President.'
'Thank you, sir. Your report has been most thorough.'
Henry sensed that the president's remark was a signal that the grueling interview, in which he had spent over two hours recounting every detail of the campaign of the last ten days, was at an end.
Henry stood up, saluted, and then hesitated.
'Is there anything else?' Lincoln asked, and there was a touch of concern, of warmth in his voice, as if anticipating a request for a favor.
'Sir, there is something else.'
'And that is?'
'Sir, my men, the men of the Army of the Potomac, in spite of all that happened, they are still the best There are so many ifs now, but there is one if that should never be raised.'
'Ifs?'
'If we had only done this, if only Sedgwick had advanced, or not advanced, if only Meade had listened to Sickles, if only we had moved an hour earlier. That sir, now, well it is the past'
'Yes, unfortunately, yes.'
'Sir, what I am referring to. Never let it be said, 'If only the men had fought better.' My God, Mr. President I saw them go in, I saw them go in and I saw them die. I saw them die and…'
He broke, unashamedly he broke, racked by a shuddering sob, the tears coursing down his face.
Lincoln stepped forward, an arm going around Henry's shoulders. Henry struggled for control but could not stop and for several minutes stood thus, sobbing. At last embarrassed, he stepped back and looked up. And yet the look in Lincoln's eyes stilled all embarrassment all shame, for the president was in tears as well. There was no sound, just a brightness in his red-rimmed eyes and a sudden realization by Henry Hunt that this man had cried countless times in silence, alone, for all that had been done, for all that had been lost
'Never let it be said, if only we had fought better,' Henry whispered. 'The failure was in men like me, the ones trusted to command.'
'Not you, Hunt'
'Yes, me,' and again there was a moment when he had to pause, but then he braced himself, looking straight into the eyes of Lincoln.
'Next time, sir, be merciless when choosing those who command; choose with cold logic and be sure that we know the responsibility given to us, that the lives of our men and the life of our Republic must come before all else. It must come first, or we are not worthy of the trust placed in us.'
'1 think you did all that you could, Hunt' 'It was not enough.'
Lincoln smiled. 'I think I can be a better judge of that at this moment, sir.' Henry nodded.
'The men we led, sir, they are the soul of this country; they still are, and always wi]l be. Do not let them die in vain.'
Lincoln stood as if struck and then slowly shook his head. 'No. And this last battle will not be in vain either, sir.'
Henry came to attention and saluted.
Lincoln reached out, extending his hand again, putting it on Henry's shoulder, and slowly walked him to the door.
'May you sleep well tonight, Hunt Do not blame yourself; the blame is mine now, not yours.'
'No, sir, it's not'
Lincoln smiled.
'Don't argue with your president, Hunt They were my commanders, and in the end their failure was my failure. I'll have orders waiting for you in the morning.'
Lincoln looked into his eyes, a look that Henry knew he would carry for the rest of his life. It was a look of a weariness that transcended the mere physical. It reached to the very soul.
'God bless you, sir,' Henry said softly, and then he was alone, walking down the stairs and out into the street.
Alone, in his office, President Abraham Lincoln sat down at his desk and looked at the simple five sentence order he had just written out, an order that would go out by telegraph this very evening.
Lt Gen. U. S. Grant
Sir,
Congratulations on your capture of the Confederate fortress of Vicksburg. It came at a decisive moment. Now we need you here. As of this date, you are hereby appointed to the rank of lieutenant general in command of all armies of the United States. With all possible speed I am ordering you to take whatever steps are necessary to defeat the Army of Northern Virginia and end this war.
A Lincoln
